First Minister to give evidence on future of Wales

Wales’ First Minister will be quizzed on her priorities for the Welsh Government and her relations with the UK Government at a parliamentary inquiry this week.

On Wednesday (12 February), MPs will question Baroness Eluned Morgan at her first appearance before the Welsh Affairs Committee since being appointed First Minister.

The committee is responsible for scrutinising the expenditure, administration and policies of the Wales Office, and the policies of the UK Government as a whole that have an impact in Wales.

It is not a government committee but a Select Committee of the House of Commons with a key role in holding ministers to account.

Support

The First Minister is likely to be asked if the Welsh Government is sufficiently resourced and supported by the UK Government to deliver on its priorities, and about the impact of changes in public funding on Welsh farmers and local councils.

Other topics likely to be raised by members include how the Welsh and UK Government intend to support universities.

It comes following the recent announcement of job cuts at Cardiff University, which Committee Chair Ruth Jones said were a potential “canary in the coalmine”.

Steel

MPs are also likely to ask the First Minister about the future of steelmaking at Port Talbot – including the impact of job losses at the Tata plant – as well as about the role of Wales’s two freeports in the future of the Welsh economy.

The committee could also discuss how the Welsh Government can work with the UK Government to deliver safer streets, including the pledge to halve knife crime and violence against women and girls within a decade.